At their May 27, 2020, meeting, the Albany City Council voted to increase the City’s NW Natural privilege tax from 5% to 7%. The City Council adopted the increase following a review of all franchise fees and determined that it would be appropriate to increase the NW Natural privilege tax to match the tax rate of other franchises. Oregon Administrative Rule 860-022-0040 allows the first 3% of city fees or taxes to be included as an operating expense and is, therefore, included as part of the rate charged to all customers in the state. The additional amount, in this case an increase from 2% to 4%, is charged to Albany customers as a line item on their billing. City franchise fees and taxes are collected as a nondedicated revenue source to support General Fund activities such as Police, Fire, Municipal Court, Library, and Planning, among other City services.
If you have additional questions, contact the City or your city councilors.
